****Today marks my three month term here in Ecuador, so hard to believe so much time has passed me by. Because the time has passed so quickly, we almost forgot about the visa extension which is a requirement here. We headed into town last Saturday to find out where to catch the bus to Columbia, the closest border crossing allowing us to get a new stamp. This was what we thought we had to do, but it gets confusing due to the fact that those that live here don’t see it as a necessity, telling us not to worry, lots of people go past the date to renew. But you know it just isn’t that simple and the consequences can be quite serious, so we knew we must take more care than that.
Last summer, my son had this same issue, having moved to Routan and not getting his visa extension. Then he got seriously ill needing an emergency flight home to get decent medical attention. He got a parasite down there and likely would have died had he not got back home. I had to fly him home – he was a ghost of himself having lost 60 pounds in a matter of 2 weeks, unable to eat and so very weak. A problem arose when he tried to leave because he had not done his extension, a fine needed to be paid before they would let him go. I am unsure of how much that cost him, but it can vary from country to country. Here it can be as high as $6,000.00 so it is no small thing. Also we would not be allowed to return for three years. So with only a few days to get things sorted out, we asked here and there to see what we should be doing. Finally we found a reliable website which led us to the official government site giving us the requirements.
We were a little nervous as we boarded the bus to Quito (rather than Columbia) not sure what the outcome would be or if we would have difficulty because of the language barrier. We caught the 7:30am bus arriving in Quito at about 9:00am. We took a cab from the bus terminal to the city which took us about 25 minutes. I am so glad I never have to drive there, it is crazy busy and for me the streets were very confusing. Here you could see more poverty, the Venezuelans everywhere begging for money or food. Here you see the reality of what is normally for us just a new cast, very different from seeing it first hand. I find it very difficult, wanting to help them all, but knowing that if you give to one, there will be a hundred more in a flash; children of all ages, young parents and some older. Many thousands have crossed the borders of neighboring countries looking for a fresh start. But they are coming to places that already have hardship and it is difficult not to wonder what will happen to them. How long can this go on?
Arriving at the Migration Office, we sought out a place to get color copies of our passports (conveniently located right next door as it turned out), then we learned that we must go to the bank to get the required fee of $128.68 American with the receipt (appropriate numbers included) and return to finish the visa extension. The bank, which had to be a specific bank (Banco Pacifica if memory serves) was also conveniently located in the mall just across the street. However it did not open until 10:00, so we had about 20 minutes to wait. Lucky for us there was a great bakery conveniently located across the street from the mall where we were able to get a latte and croissant (freshly baked,mmm). The sun had come out from behind the clouds and we found a nice table on the patio where no one else seemed to want to be – lucky us!!!!
It was a wonderful moment with the sun on our faces, a little loud with all the traffic, but still a time when we just sat back instinctively realizing that everything would be just fine. The coffee was great (the coffee everywhere here is wonderful because it is as fresh as you can possible get it) and we enjoyed the moments talking about the book and the progress we were making. I think it is one of those magic times when you are aware that life is amazing and we are so lucky to be experiencing this adventure.
There was a great line-up at the mall when we got there just as it opened. Sort of felt like a Christmas rush in Canada, but no, this was a rush for all these people to get to the bank, the stores were completely empty of customers. Kind of a new experience! The line-up was fairly long by the time we figured out where to go, so we braced ourselves for a long wait. There were actually several people in the line that were doing exactly what we were, getting their payment for a visa extension, the majority from what we could see were from Venezuela.
So now back to Migration and to the incredibly helpful staff there to finalize our visa, taking less than 15 minutes. Voila! We are granted a 3 month extension to stay in Ecuador, now having to leave by March 17th, Saint Patrick’s Day…. at which point we have to leave for at least 6 months before re-entering (if we choose to) this country. So now we must make our choice as to where will go from here. The time flies by, a month gone already since that day in Quito, so we must decide soon. The biggest problem I can see will be Mali, each country is different as far as requirements for animals, and then of course as we have already experienced there is the possibility she will have trouble with transportation. Maybe we will try a train next…..
So we made our long trip home, completely joyous about the great ease and wonderfully helpful people we were fortunate to meet that day. It could have turned out so differently if we had gone to Columbia thinking we just needed a stamp at the border and then return to Ecuador. In fact this could have caused us a great deal of difficulty as we may not have been allowed to re-enter. This is the difficulty of travelling these Latin American countries, the rules change frequently, often with no warning. There are too many people who do not take the consequences seriously, therefore do not pay attention to the rules and do no pass on correct information. So we must remember to remain diligent as we move from here. But for now we are so grateful for the extension and will enjoy our stay here with more ease.
It is quite surprising how much relief was felt by us both for this small but incredibly important piece of paper. Realizing once more that it is a gift to have this freedom to go from country to country, one which should not be taken for granted. It seems to be getting more difficult to experience this freedom, the rules changing everywhere depending on the latest government. But how lucky we are to see the beauty in the different parts of the world and whether we like the experience or not, be richer for it in ways we may not have anticipated.
****I started this blog on December 17, so it is a bit outdated but still relevant. Now that I have finally found the time to get some entries up I will go back and fill in some blanks from last year. Better late than never I suppose……
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